A new government report from the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) draws attention to alarming trends related to the promotion of transgenderism among America's youth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 3.3 percent of high school students currently identify as transgender, and an additional 2.2 percent “question” their gender.
One key finding shows that white students are more likely to identify as “transgender” or “questioning” than students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. . Black students, on the other hand, are the least likely to experience confusion about their gender.
Each year, CDC collects data from a nationally representative group of 9th- through 12th-grade students from public and private schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Inflated numbers?
The reported percentage of transgender high school students (3.3 percent) appears to be significantly inflated, especially when compared to historical trends.
There are two possible explanations for this surprising number. The first is that the CDC may be misrepresenting data by suggesting that 1 in 30 students are transgender. Historically, the number of school-age children who identify as transgender has been significantly lower. It is important to note that self-identification is not equivalent to a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria, which requires a formal evaluation by a medical professional. Extensive Reuters reporting on the subject confuses the two. That's not surprising. This is because the recently established medical practice is to accept the child's “identity'' at face value.
According to the report, from 2017 to 2021, approximately 121,882 children between the ages of 6 and 17 were diagnosed with gender dysphoria in the United States. Most of these diagnoses are likely to apply to teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18. Older teens tend to be diagnosed more often than younger children. Trouble associated with adolescence.
In 2021 alone, 42,000 of the 40 million American children and teens were diagnosed or identified as transgender. This equates to 0.1% of young people, a significant increase compared to the 0.038% recorded in 2017.
Assuming there are no major changes in other factors (diagnostic criteria, social environment, etc.), the latest figure of 3.3% is too high and contradicts existing medical data.
Social contagion?
The second explanation is even trickier. If these numbers are close to accurate, then some significant and unprecedented influence caused this dramatic rise. It's probably a “social contagion”. This phenomenon refers to the spread of behaviors, ideas, and attitudes through peer influence, media exposure, and cultural change. In this case, the rapid increase in transgender self-identification among youth means that external social forces, particularly schools, entertainment, and social media (see here, here, and here), are influencing young people's perceptions and explorations. This suggests that they play an important role in shaping the way people interact with each other. “Gender.” This raises concerns that the natural conflicts of adolescence may be reframed as issues of “gender identity.” This leads to irrevocable decisions driven more by cultural tendencies than by individual psychological needs.
This topic was covered in detail by Dr. Miriam Grossman, a renowned child psychologist, among others. She spoke about this in New American magazine in 2023.
Rejection of biological reality
The CDC report perpetuates the false notion that gender is “assigned” at birth, a concept that has no basis in biology. The preface reads:
Gender refers to the socially constructed norms and expectations placed on a person based on their sex, designated as male or female at birth. Gender identity refers to an individual's sense of self and personal experience with gender.
In this context, “transgender” is defined as someone whose “gender identity differs from the sex assigned at birth.”
Apparently, CDC researchers reject the idea that gender is an objective biological fact determined by chromosomes and immutable characteristics. No amount of surgery or hormone therapy can change the biological reality of a man or woman. Promoting or allowing children and teens to “transition” is not only misleading, but harmful. The irreversible nature of hormone treatments such as surgery and puberty blockers raises significant ethical concerns. Despite the fact that these procedures permanently alter the body, the government fully supports their use in adolescents. As a result, these guidelines are accepted by misinformed parents and minors who are unable to fully understand the long-term implications.
Mental health: a real crisis
The report highlights the high rates of mental health problems among “transgender” students. According to the report:
An estimated 40% of transgender and self-identifying students experience bullying at school, and 69% of self-identifying students and 72% of transgender students experience persistent sadness, an indicator of experiencing depressive symptoms. I experienced feelings of hopelessness. Approximately 26% of transgender and identifying students have attempted suicide in the past year, compared with 5% of cisgender male students and 11% of cisgender female students.
But the CDC does not acknowledge that migration is not the solution to these problems. Data suggests that the mental health crisis among transgender youth is not due to a lack of “affirmation” or support, but rather to the nature of gender dysphoria itself. Promoting gender reassignment as a solution to psychological suffering is deceptive and harmful.
The report overlooks research showing that transitions do not improve long-term mental health. Rather, young people who “transition” are often left with regrets, irreversible physical changes, and ongoing mental health suffering. Rather than addressing the root causes of their suffering, current approaches push them further into destructive cycles.
Role of public schools
Perhaps most problematic is the role of public schools in promoting this ideology. Schools actively promote the normalization of “gender” fluidity in the name of “support” and “inclusivity.” They often do so without involving or informing their parents. Current policy allows students to use the restrooms and locker rooms of the opposite sex. They are also allowed to participate in sports based on their chosen “gender identity.” These measures undermine the boundaries of biological reality.
Instead of fostering safe spaces for all, such policies create chaos and conflict. They push a one-sided agenda that encourages students to interrogate their own gender and gender transition as not only normal but desirable. The report's findings should prompt schools to reconsider their role in promoting this ideology. These serve as a warning against further policies that further deepen gender confusion.
return to reality
The high rates of mental health issues, violence, and suicidal behavior among transgender students reported in YRBS do not justify more “gender-affirming” interventions. Instead, they highlight how current approaches are failing these young people. This evidence points to the need to re-evaluate existing strategies rather than reinforcing them. Schools and society should return to a reality-based understanding of sex, rooted in biological facts, rather than imposing irreversible cures or confusing ideologies. Youth need psychological support, not ideological indoctrination. Gender transition does not cure gender dysphoria, and the risks associated with affirming children's confused feelings are too great to ignore.
The report's findings raise serious red flags about the direction society is headed when it comes to young people and sex. It is time to critically examine the real motivations behind the promotion of transgenderism and protect the health and well-being of our children from harmful ideologies.
